All The King's Men - On HOLD

I Don't Like It

Chapter 9 – I Don't Like It

Claire

When I returned to the table, Michael asked, "Were you able to get the stain out?"

I smiled as I sat back down, "Good as new. What did I miss?"

Hailee enthused, "I was just trying to convince Michael he should consider playing his guitar publicly. He is so good at..." Her voice trailed off, as somebody caught her attention over my shoulder. She visibly pulled back and stared with wide eyes, tension running through her small frame. Michael glanced up as well, but he did not seem at all concerned.

My stomach tightened, worried it might be Pashkov coming to confront me. I snapped my head around, ready for a fight. Only to find it wasn't Pashkov walking up behind me, it was Myrnin!

I blinked. And turned back around to study Hailee. Maybe she had been looking at someone else. But as I analyzed the direction her attention was fixed, I was convinced she was eyeing Myrnin uneasily.

I stared at her behavior in confusion. She had already met him when he healed her. He also compelled her to forget her little interaction with me, when I found her in bed with Michael the day after his party. Myrnin hadn't said their meeting went anything other than favorable, so I couldn't understand her overt trepidation now at his presence.

When he reached me, he leaned down to nuzzle into my neck, "Hello, Cariad."

He straightened and reached over the table, extending his hand to Hailee. "I'm Myrnin. And you must be Hailee. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Okay, he must have compelled her to forget him as well. He hadn't mentioned that. I made a mental note to ask him why later.

She offered her hand reluctantly and stuttered, "Yes, I have heard of you."

Myrnin smiled brilliantly at her, and kissed the back of her hand softly. He released it and settled into the chair next to me, finding my fingers under the table.

Hailee's body visibly relaxed at his easy demeanor, and she smiled tentatively at him. I understood now. If Hailee had heard of Myrnin before, but had never met him – at least that she could recall – it wasn't surprising she would be scared of him. He had quite a reputation, well deserved, for being a fearsome and not-always-stable predator.

Myrnin glanced sideways at me. His eyes narrowed as he studied my expression. I was still bothered and worried about the interaction I had witnessed between Pashkov and Shane's wife, Chloe. I wasn't surprised that Myrnin could tell something was off. He always knew.

I squeezed his hand reassuringly, silently letting him know I would explain it later. He nodded in understanding and turned his attention toward Michael.

"You know, it's creepy when you two do that." Michael took a swig of his beer and pointed the bottle back and forth between Myrnin and me.

I laughed. "Do what?"

"That whole have-a-conversation-without-saying-anything-to-each-other thing," he explained.

I giggled. Myrnin and I did do that quite a bit. To catch Myrnin up in the conversation, I explained, "Hailee is studying architecture at TPU. She was just sharing her opinion that Michael should play his guitar publicly, since he is so talented with it."

Myrnin's grip on my hand involuntarily tightened as surprise rolled through him. He knew as well as I did, that Michael hadn't played his guitar since Eve left. But he kept his face smooth, not revealing his shock. Instead, he readily replied, "Indeed, I agree he should. It is difficult to determine which he excels at most, song or the guitar."